Muddy Mess! Help!

[lisamr]

We have terrible drainage and clay soil and even though we put the run and coop where we thought it may be the driest it is still a muddy gooey mess in the run. Does the mud pose any harm to the chickens? Can we add buckets of sand to help with the mess? Will sand hurt them? Any other ideas would be great. We did cover half the run with a slanted tarp roof and that helps a bit but it is very rainy here in washington state.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Sand, and lots of it!!

I have an 8X16 run and I put 1/2 ton of sand in it this summer (because of mud last winter) and it is wonderful. It doesn't harm the chickens, and it REALLY is a lifesaver for the mud.

No muddy chickens (and therefore WET chickens in the cold) and no muddy poopy slip and slide when ya have to go in there.

It also cuts down on stink (and flies) - nothing smells worse than chicken poopy mud.

meri

 

[ninjapoodles]

I am a REALLY strong believer in grade-4 (or #4) fill sand! It's really like a very fine gravel, and it stands up to horse-traffic in heavy mud areas. Then you can lay other footing on top of that, if you wish. All my horse stalls were always laid a foot deep or more with #4 sand, then regular bedding on top of that. It's firm enough to make solid footing, and absorbent enough that you don't have to worry about liquid pooling.

When you lay it down, you put down a layer, then SOAK it thoroughly with water. Add another layer, repeat. The soaking several times helps the sand to pack down and settle--once it's packed, it won't scatter or get blown around at all.

 

[lorihadams]

what about rock dust...or crusher run? Don't blast me for the spelling on that.....we are having similar mud issues.

We have leaves in the covered run now which is fine but it is getting mucky around the edges. Would it be okay to do the rock dust and then a layer of leaves or sand or shavings in the run?

Lori

 

[thecochincoop]

Gravel is what I use it seems to be working so far.

I put down about 6 inches of fine gravel now, but I want to put larger on top so that I can hose it out when it thaws. The small gravel doesn't allow the poop to go between the gravels.

 

[rooster-red]

We have red clay, and lots of it.

I use sand to help with drainage.

 

[MandyH]

Sand, sand, and sand. We put 6-8 inches of sand in EVERY coop and run and have NOOOOO problems with wet, odor, flies, etc. We get a dump truck load every Spring and Fall for $50 I think it is. VERY reasonable considering what you pay trying to put down hay, and wood chips and all that stuff that's a waste of time.